Snapper riffing

[Donweather]

Clearly Alakaboo is in on the conspiracy.

Perhaps Boo is a consultant to GCC and Quiky!!!!

[steve shearer]

Thanks Boo, no offence to the learned gents here but the bullshitt was starting to pile up rather rapidly.

Couple of other pertinent facts.

TRESBP (Tweed River Entrance Sand By-pass) is set up as a BOOT system. Thats a public-private partnership means of building infrastructure and stands for Build-Own-Operate-Transfer.

Basically the contractor (McDonell-Dowell) paid to build the infrastructure and gets paid to operate it ie per cubic metre of sand pumped. After the term of the contract has elapsed they pass it on/sell it to the Govt.

There's no juju on the mechanism for pumping now. As sand arrives they can pump it. They can't store it.
The system does replicate nature except for one glaring and pertinent difference.

Sand transport under normal conditions is not a linear controlled process. Sand is moved by events in large slugs. Observation of any more natural coastline (particularly north of the Macleay River) will clearly show that. Sand builds up under calmer conditions and then is moved in large slugs, either offshore in storm condition or along the coast under SE conditions.

The sand bypass delivers that sand in far more discrete, consistent quantities. Which leads to more consistent nearshore sand-bars and beach profiles widths, compared to say the Lennox/Ballina stretch or Tweed coast.

Ask any Coolangatta local and they'll tell you that May-June is when the greatest sand transport used to occur. Historical photos clearly show that.

The bypass system has allowed greater transport during end of summer times in between swells from the E and NE which comprise the largest erosive events for Coolangatta Bay.

Again there's no juju. Also, there is an advisory comittee which used to consist of well known Coolie surfers (Wayne Dean, Rabbitt, Bruce lee etc etc). They can have some input into what they consider to be the optimal pumping regime.
Of course they are going to want to repair the bank in time for the Quikpro.

Stu, re dredging. A quick look at the TRESBP website would have shown that no dredging has occurred since 2008. Dredged sand is dumped offshore. It can't form part of the nearshore bank until it slowly washes in under calm conditions.

The bank recoveries you are alluding to all happened within a month of storm events but with the main proviso : there was no follow-up storm events.

They've also lost the bank during storm events during the Comp (2004, 2009) so there's zero truth in the statement that the bank seems to get fixed awfully fast before the event.
Sometimes it has been fixed in time, sometimes they've lost it.

Also, one more untruth. Any long-time local will tell you the bank actually builds and repairs fastest in winter. Under the prevailing southerly/SE wind/swell regime.
As a general rule Coolangatta erodes during Summer/early autumn (NE swell events) and accretes during Late Autumn/Winter/Spring (SE swell events)

All the most famous superbank swells have been in Winter.

I refer the reader to Parkos foot gash swell, Harvey;s longest ride, weather bomb swell etc etc etc.


Here's your sand pumping volume table. http://www.tweedsandbypass.nsw.gov.au/_ ... 013-01.pdf

Note the large volumes pumped during the first couple of years due to the sand slug that was built up on the south side of the Tweed walls.

[crabmeat thompson]

Should the Qpro Snap be a mid season event in July?

[steve shearer]

Should the Qpro Snap be a mid season event in July?

April/May would probably be the best odds bet.

But March is fine. The timing is fine as long as they don't get back to back to back storm swells knocking the bank to Kingdom come.

[crabmeat thompson]

Last year, 3-4 days out from the event there was a gaping hole in the bank too.

imo, Late Feb/ early March just ain't working.

[steve shearer]

Yeah, but they filled that hole fairly well by the time the comp started.

The bank was adequate last year.

[crabmeat thompson]

But it was hardly all time, hey?

I've hated the whole sand pumping and superbank wank from day dot.

Much preferred when it was snapper as big fullish outside wave. Rainbow was family swimming paradise. Greenmount on it's days was a world class right. And then in the bigger swells Big groyne to little groyne was maybe in the top 3 or 4 wave in the world.

Don't even get me started on what it's done to the beaches from Tugun to Broady either!

Still not sure why we mess around with nature so much ...

[/rant]

[steve shearer]

Look at recent history.

2008. Good small Snapper. Slater v Fanning
2009 Cyclone Hamish. Finished at 6-8ft Kirra. Parko beat De Souza
2010. Parko/Dane; heat of heats. Really good Snapper. Taj beat Jordy
2011. Pretty fun Snapper. except for the Final held in Slop. Slater beat Taj
2012. Fun but sloppy Snapper. Taj beat De Snouza

I'd say they've been doing OK as far as wave quality goes. But they are due a really good year.

But sure, hardly all-time. Got to go back to 2006 with Fanning and Kerr tube duels behind the rock and Bede beating Slater.

Why mess with Nature? Mate , it's the fcuking Gold Coast, thats the reason for it's existence.

[el rancho]

from a conversation I had with Rabbit, I understand froggies has to fill up before any sand can be pushed around to snapper rocks.

froggies, at the moment, is the worst I've ever seen it.

things may change, but this year is not last year.

[el rancho]

Why mess with Nature? Mate , it's the fcuking Gold Coast, thats the reason for it's existence.

easy to say when you don't shit where you eat.

so you gonna be around doing any special projects shep?

[steve shearer]

yes, do you have any couch or yard space available?

I can cook and clean and do the washing up. My personal grooming is adequate and my manners are Elizabethan.

The budget is only fourex Gold or cleanskin wine though.

[steve shearer]

from a conversation I had with Rabbit, I understand froggies has to fill up before any sand can be pushed around to snapper rocks.

Thats kind of self evident because the outlet is at Froggies. So once they start pumping Froggies fills up and drifts around to the Snapper Rock very quickly.

[el rancho]

yes but I guess without really thinking about it I thought the currents could sweep it up to snapper in one fell swoop. I am a layperson though.

my old broken volvo is sitting in the street, you can bunk in that. but I must warn you it may be towed at any point, it's for sale on gumtree.

[steve shearer]

Sounds great.
Broken Volvos was the name of a punk band I once played in.

Is it watertight?

[crabmeat thompson]

It's water tight baby.

Like a frog's anus in a flooded pond.

[Donweather]

So based on your sentiments above Steve, you're confident they'll run the even this weekend (and potentially finishing it early next week).

Autumn is entering the building right on cue too....SE winds and SE swell to boot. That should groom the bank nicely in time for when the circus fecks off!!!

[alakaboo]

Still not sure why we mess around with nature so much ...[/rant]

In most cases, because boaties are better organised than surfers. And they tend to drown when things don't go their way.
And because lots of developers and lawyers live on the beachfront.

Clearly Alakaboo is in on the conspiracy.

Perhaps Boo is a consultant to GCC and Quiky!!!!

If that were true, I'd move the whole event to Lacey's.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Well that settles it, the first ASP comp of the season should be held at no other place than Bondi Beach. Offshore in NE'er, what more could you want?